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Mobilizing for Safer Care in New Jersey

The New Jersey Nurses Union (NJNU), was created by working nurses at Saint Barnabas Medical Center who desired strong representation in all areas of professional concern. Since its inception in 1991, NJNU has proven effective in negotiating their contracts as well as making certain the terms and conditions are upheld. Read More

New Jersey Nurses News

Please continue to send your Short Staffing forms to NJNU, however due to the large amount of short staffing forms that we receive, we cannot respond to each individual form. Each and every short staffing form is addressed by both NJNU and SBMC and MMCSC management.

The purpose of these forms is to provide information for negotiations and arbitrations in regards to staffing issues. Also, by notifying management about unsafe conditions and filing a short staffing form, you can help protect yourself and your license.

Fill out all the information on the Short Staffing Forms. It is important to have the number of staff and the census with every form. For a copy of the form see your Officer and/or Delegate or call the NJNU office at 973-992-6568.

When you have completed the Short Staffing Form fax it to 973-992-8410.

You can also complete the form online. Click on the link Short Staffing Form, fill the form out and click on submit.

ALL UNION MEMBERS HAVE RIGHTS THAT ARE PROTECTED BY THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT.

If you are called into a meeting with management and the meeting could in any way lead to your being disciplined or terminated, or affect your personal working conditions, inform management that you request that your Union Delegate be present at the meeting.Until your Delegate arrives, explain that you choose not to participate in their discussion.

YOU MUST BE CLEAR IN YOUR REQUEST TO HAVE UNION REPRESENTATION BEFORE OR DURING THE MEETING!

You cannot be punished for making this request.If management denies this request and continues to question, it will have committed an UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE, which is a violation of Federal law, and you then have a right to refuse to answer their questions.

Management can not discipline you for such a refusal, if you have followed these steps.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your local delegate.

Many of the nurses at the MMCSC/BHBHC are forced to work without the luxury of a break or lunch during their 12 hour shift due to the chronic short staffing that plagues their facilities. The current staffing issue leaves nurses unable to take full breaks except briefly for the rest room or to get something that they can eat at the nursing station.

Management has stated that if a nurse is forced to eat their meals at the nursing station, that it is not considered a lunch and they would therefore be entitled to their "30-minute" pay.

As a result the following process should be utilized with respects to breaks and/or lunches:

Contact your Director or Head Nurse, and notify them that you would like to take a break/lunch. If they are able to provide coverage, then you should go. If not, proceed to next step.

Notify them that you will then write "+30 minutes" on your time card, and then please fill out a short staffing form here.

It is extremely important that every member take their break or lunch if it is offered to you. NJNU understands all of your responsibilities, however your health and well-being is more important to us, being that you can not otherwise provide the quality level of care that your patients deserve.

Should you have any questions concerning this issue or would like assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our office or click here.

Nurses, particularly those who work in psychiatric units and ERs, care for patients who are verbally or physically abusive. Nurses at both facilities have been involved in violent incidents, including patients with possession of knives, and even patients who are physically and verbally abusive.

“Recent studies and news reports suggest that when agitation escalates into full blown assault, nurses are often the victims. Accordingly nurses are protesting what they say are inadequate protections in the workplace” (AJN, Feb. 2007).

This article also sites that few nurses file a formal incident report because “they don’t feel supported by their managers or administrators when incidents arise and because work pressures don’t allow time for staff to report.”

NJNU members at MMCSC and BHBHC need to be responsible and file detailed incidents reports with NJNU as soon as possible, so that NJNU can work with management to formulate practices and create a safer work environment. NJNU cannot attempt to fix what we are not made aware of. As the above mentioned article states, “Being assaulted is NOT in our job description!”

Incident reports can now be filed with NJNU by faxing to (732)987-7703 or click here.